Dental appliance.



E. A. DU BRUL.

DENTAL APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION mu) NOV. 9. ms.

1,22%595o Patented June 12, I917;

ERNEST A. DU BRUL,

or NEW YORK, N. Y.

DENTAL APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented June 12, 1917.

Application filed November 9, 1916. Serial No. 130,371.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ennns'r A. DU BRUL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dental Appliances, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to dental appliances, and has for its object to provide a devicefor holding in place the cotton rolls which are used at the sides of a tooth which is being filled for keeping the cavity dry. Heretofore these cotton rolls have simply been pressed down at the sides of the tooth and it has been necessary for the dentist to hold them in place with his fingers or with a mouth mirror, so that only one hand is left free for doing the work of filling the tooth. The provision of the holding means constituting this invention insures the proper retention of the cotton rolls in place so as to keep the cheek and tongue away from the tooth and dam back the saliva from the cavity, and leaves both the dentists hands free for filling said cavity.

Another object is to provide an appliance for holding the mouth open while a tooth is being filled, and to this end the means for holding the cotton rolls in place is provided with a resilient prop which engages the adjacent teeth of the other jaw, whereby the jaws are held apart and the danger of the mouth being closed unconsciously or intentionally and flooded with saliva as a result thereof, is averted. The invention further contemplates the provision of means for retaining the prop in engagement with the teeth of the opposite jaw so as to avoid accidental displacement thereof when in use.

The invention will be first hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which constitute part of this specification, and then more specifically defined in the claims at the end of the description.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the appliance, some of the teeth of the lower jaw being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the upper end portion of the resilient prop, showing particularly the hinged connection between it and the channeled plate into which the teeth of the opposite jaw fit.

Fig. at is a detailed perspective view of one of the cotton roll holding devices in closed position, and

Fig. 5 is a similar view of said device in opened position.

The appliance consists of a pair of clasps l for holding the cotton rolls 10, a pair of resilient props cou'iprising lower portions 3, upper portions 4 and resilient coils 5 connecting said upper and lower portions, and a channeled plate 6 hinged to the upper ends of the props and designed to fit around the teeth of the jaw opposite to that on which the tooth to be filled is located, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. The roll holding clasps and the resilient props are preferably made of a single piece of wire bent upon itself in the middle to form the cross piece 8 which is passed through the loops 9 cut and pressed out from the bottom of the channeled plate 6 for making the hinge connection between said plate and the props. The portions of the wire at the sides of the cross piece 8 are bent into similar forms, each having the lower and upper prop sections 3 and 4 connected by the resilient coils 5 as already described. At the lower end of each of the lower prop sections 8 the roll holding clasp is formed from one of the end portions of the wire, said clasp comprising what may be termed a fixed jaw 1 and a movable jaw 20 having a hook 2 at its end to connect with the fixed jaw substantially as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

When a cotton or other dam roll 10 is to be placed in the clasp, the hook 2 is disengaged from the part 1 and the resiliency of the wire causes the jaw 20 to stand away from the jaw l, as shown in Fig. 5. The cotton roll is then placed between said jaws 1 and 20 and the latter pressed toward the former to engage the hook 2 with the jaw 1 as illustrated in Fig. 4., the roll being firmly gripped through the middle by said clasp. Owing to the softness of the roll, the clasp will become embedded therein and be prevented from coming in contact with the teeth, cheek or tongue.

As best shown in Fig. 1, the upper and lower sections of the resilient prop are arranged at an angle to each other, so that the tension in the coils 5 tends to spread them farther apart and exerts sufficient pressure on the teeth of the opposite jaw to hold the jaws apart. The channeled plate (3 is made in the form shown with flanges 7 at its sides for retaining it in engagement with the teeth while the device is in use. Said plate is hinged to the resilient prop so that it will automatically swing to the proper angle and accommodate itself to the incline at which the teeth of the opposite jaw are arranged with respect to the teeth of the jaw to which the cotton rolls are applied. Obviously, the resilient prop serves to hold the cotton rolls firmly in place at opposite sides of the teeth 11 of one jaw, while at the same time holding the channeled plate 6 in engagement with the teeth 12 of the opposite jaw. It will also be observed that the appliance may be used on either side of either jaw with equal success and without requiring any special device beyond what is shown in the drawings. This universal usefulness of the appliance constitutes an important advantage over the prior devices which are adapted to only one side or one jaw.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with means for holding a cotton roll, of a resilient prop connected at one end to said means, and a channeled plate connected to the other end of the prop and adapted to fit against the teeth of the jaw opposite to that engaged by the cotton roll.

2. A dental appliance comprising a piece of wire bent upon itself to form a pair of spaced props for holding the mouth open, a cross piece connecting said props, and a a clasp for a dam roll at the free end of each prop, in combination with a plate connected to said connecting piece for the purpose specified.

3. A dental appliance comprising a piece of wire bent upon itself to form a pair of spaced props for holding the mouth open, a cross piece connecting said props, and a clasp for a dam roll at the free end of each prop, in combination with a plate hinged to said connecting piece for the purpose specified.

4. A dental appliance comprising a prop for holding the mouth open, said prop consisting of two sections connected by a spring hinge, means at the free end of one member of said prop for holding a dam roll in place, and a plate hinged to the free end of the other member of the prop to engage the opposite jaw and automatically accommodate itself to the angle thereof.

A dental appliance comprising a prop for holding the mouth open, and a clasp at one end of the prop for holding a dam roll,

said clasp consisting of two arms adapted to embrace the roll between them, and a hook on one arm to detachably engage the other arm for locking the clasp around the roll.

6. A dental appliance comprising a prop for holding the mouth open, and a clasp at one end of the prop for holding a dam roll, said clasp consisting of two arms connected by a spring hinge and adapted to embrace the roll between them, and a hook on one arm to detachably engage the other arm for locking the clasp around the roll.

In testimony whereof I have signed. my name to this specification.

ERNEST A. DU BRUL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

